Ivica Zubac returns against the Celtics a week ahead of schedule

ByNBAUSA



INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The LA Clippers have won six straight games, tying their win total spanning nearly the first two months of the season. They did most of this damage while in dire straits, but help in the form Ivica Zubac looks like it’s on its way.

The 7-foot center from Croatia is scheduled to return to the Clippers lineup Saturday night when the team hosts the visiting team Boston Celtics at the Intuit Dome. It marks a speedy recovery for the big man, who was expected to be sidelined for some time.

Zubac suffered a sprained ankle in the first quarter of the Clippers’ home win against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 20. The the center of the skapa from the floor and was quickly sent off for the rest of the game.

The next day, The Clippers announced that Zubac he was diagnosed with a grade 2 left ankle sprain and will be re-evaluated in three weeks. That meant the Clippers center would be sidelined until at least the Clippers’ home game against the Charlotte Hornets on January 12.

But the Clippers announced that Ivica Zubac transitioned to on-court action Thursday night before the team took on the Utah Jazz. And then they announced that he would be back in action two weeks after his injury.

While the Clippers desperately needed their defensive anchor back, it will be interesting to see how they fit him into a team and rotation that has clearly found its footing over the past two weeks. Without Zubac, the Clippers unexpectedly won six straight games in a 13-day span, matching the six wins they had in the first 59 days of the 2025-26 regular season.

Brook Lopez was the starting center in Zubc’s place and had several strong performances on both ends of the floor, including 31 points and a career-high nine triples against the Portland Trail Blazers. He also has nine blocks in the games Zubac has missed so far.

Backup center Janic Konan Niederhauser has also stepped into the rotation and has improved with each game. He scored a career-high 16 points with six rebounds against the Sacramento Kings. He then followed that up with a career-high 10 rebounds against the Utah Jazz.

In 28 games this season, Ivica Zubac averaged 15.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 blocks per game, shooting 60.9 percent from the field and 71.3 percent from the free throw line.

The Clippers will host the Celtics on Saturday night at 7:30 PM PST.





2026-01-03 11:29:00

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